Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-18783

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 24 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many educational psychologists it expects to retire in the next five years.

Question reference: S5W-18788

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 24 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what impact reducing the graduate allowance has had on the (a) number and (b) social mix of students entering postgraduate educational psychologist courses.

Information on the number of applicants to, and number of students starting, the MSc in Educational Psychology is shown in the following table. Students who started the course between 2012 and 2017 were self-funding. In 2011 and 2010, up to 22 places were funded by a Scottish Government funded bursary arrangement. In 2018, up to 30 places were funded through a partnership arrangement between the Scottish Government and local authorities.

The information requested on the social mix of students entering educational psychologist courses is not held centrally.

Course applications and take up of places, MSc in Educational Psychology

Year and University	Applications	Take up of places
2018 Dundee	62	29
2017 Strathclyde	71	12
2016 Dundee	43	17
2015 Strathclyde	55	12
2014 Dundee	46	24
2013 Strathclyde	69	17
2012 Dundee	92	21
2011 Strathclyde	212	22
2010 Dundee	127	22

Source: Data provided by the University of Dundee and the University of Strathclyde

Question reference: S5W-18785

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 24 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many newly-qualified educational psychologists it expects to enter the workforce in each year from 2019 to 2024.

Based on the numbers of current trainees, we expect 17 will complete an MSc in Educational Psychology in 2018, 12 in 2019, and 29 in 2020. Thereafter, we anticipate delivering up to 30 new educational psychologists each year.

A change in training arrangements means that those completing the MSc from 2020 onwards will not progress to employment as a probationer educational psychologist. Instead, they will continue as a trainee, receiving grant funding, to undertake a Qualification in Educational Psychology (Scotland) QEP while on a supervised placement in an educational psychology service. After successfully completing the 3 rd year of training they will be able to join the workforce as a fully qualified educational psychologist.

Question reference: S5W-18787

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 24 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the waiting time target is to see an educational psychologist.

Question reference: S5O-02412

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider establishing a Victim's Commissioner, and, if not, how it plans to learn from the experiences of victims and witnesses in the shaping of public policy.

Question reference: S5W-18222

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason some local authorities, despite having young people eligible for Continuing Care, have no care experienced young people receiving the provision, and (a) when and (b) how it plans to investigate this.

Question reference: S5W-18224

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will investigate claims that some local authorities have de-registered foster carers and re-registered them as supported carers in order for them to continue caring for a young person up to the age of 21.

There is no requirement for foster carers to be de-registered in order to provide a continuing care placement for a young person in their care up to the age of 21.

The Care Inspectorate, in its role as Corporate Parent, has issued updated guidance around the registration of fostering and adult placement services operating as one service solely in order to support young people who wish to remain with the same family on a Continuing Care basis.

Question reference: S5W-18221

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of expenditure on Continuing Care exceeding the amount allocated in several local authorities, with no commitment to increase funding on a per annum basis, how it plans to address this issue.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-11399 on 2 October 2017.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

For all young people who choose Continuing Care there is an expected saving arising in the form of the forgone Aftercare service costs.

The Scottish Government is providing additional funding to local government of approximately £9m in year 1 (2015-16) rising to approximately £13.5m by 2020 for Aftercare (extension to age 26 and amending the age eligibility from school leaving age to 16), and Continuing Care. Continuing Care represents £4.2 million rising to £9.3 million over the same period, by 2019/20 at which point, we expect the net total cost each year to stabilise.

Continuing Care and Aftercare both provide young care leavers with support that should meets their individual needs.

Question reference: S5W-18218

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of 3,161 care experienced young people being eligible for the Continuing Care provision but only 177 young people, which is 6%, having requested or been offered the option to remain in care, what plans it has to address this issue.

We expect to obtain credible evidence of actual uptake of Continuing Care as part of the “Children’s Social Work Statistics” in 2019. We have estimated approximately 74 eligible care leavers per year will take up the offer.

Continuing Care should be considered alongside the range of options available, including extended Aftercare support up to age 26, available to young people leaving care.

The Scottish Government are working with local authorities via Staf (Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum) Continuing Care Focus Group, Social Work Scotland, The Fostering Network and CoSLA to gather information that will identify any particular barriers to eligible young people remaining in their care setting under Continuing Care arrangements that will help us to resolve any issues. We also fund the Centre of Excellence for Looked after Children in Scotland (CELCIS), who provide ongoing support for practitioners to implement Continuing Care.

The Scottish Government will continue to review all the information available, including Ms Dugdale’s ‘Falling Through the Cracks Report’ published in July and consider the most appropriate action to ensure eligible children and young people who would like to remain in their care setting under Continuing Care arrangements are able to.

Question reference: S5W-18225

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government (a) when and (b) how it will investigate claims that foster carers are, in some instances, receiving half the weekly payment for delivering Continuing Care than they did for delivering Foster Care.

Local authorities are responsible for managing Continuing Care arrangements and making decisions about the levels of allowances and fees. The Continuing Care guidance requires local authorities to carefully consider the financial implications for carers offering a Continuing Care placement to ensure that a lack of financial support is not a barrier to any young person remaining with their care family.